Sometimes, Presidents are action heroes

In “White House Down” — released on Friday — Jamie Foxx’s President James Sawyer is young, cool and steady-handed, if slightly nerdy. Tasked with thwarting an invasion of the White House alongside Channing Tatum’s John Cale, Sawyer’s entire persona, from the crisp suits he wears through to the clumsy way he handles a rocket launcher, seems modeled on Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States.

Except that in the esteemed history of fictional movie presidents, Jamie Foxx is the seventh black actor to hold this office, running behind James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock and Danny Glover, among others.

It’s not surprising that in recent decades, the American president has emerged as a Hollywood movie hero with increasing frequency.

Here’s a look at other memorable movie Presidents — not all of them heroes.